The Crack in Joker's Mask
by Randomly writing
Summary: Ren is finally back home after the brutal interrogation that nearly killed him. His friends are all very concerned, especially since he plays it off like nothing is wrong. Little one shots of each of Joker's friends reaching out to him.
1. Ryuji

"Hey, Morgana, could you give us a minute?" Ryuji asked as the trio headed up into the attic. Ren had just come back from the interrogation but despite his calm demeanour, Ryuji was less than convinced that his friend was truly okay. He'd asked if it was okay to spend the night with him, naturally both Ren and the boss didn't mind at all. The cat glanced between the two and nodded.

"I'll be downstairs." He said and pounced down the stairs. Ryuji watched Morgana go before turning back to Ren, who was sitting on his bed with his head balanced on his hand.

"Dude, you really don't look so good." Ren gave him a calm, yet exhausted, smile in response. Same as ever.

"Not too bad for a dead man though, eh?" Ryuji tensed at the words. He knew Ren was only joking to lighten the mood, however, once they learned that their leader had been drugged the realisation that they could have lost their friend had been a huge slap to the face. If Ren hadn't remembered the plan at the moment that he did, then he wouldn't be sitting in the attic cracking jokes like nothing was wrong. "Listen, I'm going to get dressed, okay?" He said and grabbed his pyjamas. It seemed like he was going to head out and get dressed in a toilet instead of the room.

"Where're you going?" Ryuji asked, confused.

"Huh? I just said, I'm going to get dressed." Ren replied with his usual smile. Forever wearing a mask, even when he's in the real world.

"I've slept over before, you've never cared about getting changed around me before. I mean, we're both guys, right?" Ryuji didn't mind that Ren might want to change in private, but this was the perfect point for Ryuji to cling to. He was pointing out how Ren wasn't behaving the same way. "Something's wrong, ain't it? I know they beat the crap outta ya in that room… you're badly injured and don't want me to see, right?" Silence followed. Ren turned his head away, his dark hair falling messily over the front of his glasses. "C'mon, man… you're always there for us when we need help. I know you're our leader but you're our friend. Hell, you're my best friend, dude, let me help." Ryuji wasn't a very observant person most of the time, but he was still able to notice the little things that his friend did to help carry himself through awkward moments. Ren was absently picking at a loose strand of the pyjamas he held in his hands. He was staring down for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and then lifting his head. Preparing himself mentally to actually face the problem he was avoiding.

"I'm really tired," Ren said eventually. "I'm going to get changed… I'll be back soon. You still okay with the sofa?" He asked, finally looking at Ryuji. Ryuji simply nodded. Ren must have sensed how worried his friend was because just before he left the room he paused. "I… appreciate you staying and… talking to me about this. It's just…"

"Hard?" Ryuji asked. More silence. "Listen, I ain't gonna rush you into talking about it. You just got back after all. What I am saying is… we all got stuff to deal with. It being in the past doesn't make it easier to deal with now but… I guess knowing that someone else knows ya situation is comforting…" Ren, with his back facing Ryuji, smiled sadly. "Crap, I hope that made sense. C'mon, man, you're killing me here!" He whined. That was the Ryuji he knew. A small chuckle escape Ren at that.

"Thanks, Ryuji. Really." He said as he headed downstairs and to the bathroom in the corner of the shop.

Not long later Ren had arrived back in his attic room. Morgana was already curled up on his bed, fast asleep. He'd only been gone a few minutes and was very surprised that his companion had travelled upstairs and fallen asleep in such a short space of time. Ryuji, seeing his stunned expression, smirked.

"He's been staying up a lot, I guess not many of us slept much while you were gone." That made sense. "Y'know… when we found out they drugged you… that was kinda scary… you forgot our plan for a while. If you hadn't remembered …" He trailed off, his hands tightening into fists on his knees. "I could kill those sorry bastards who did that to you…" Ren watched his friendly quietly and then walked over, lowering himself next to him on the sofa. He winced slightly as he sat. He didn't need to look to know Ryuji's fists grew tighter on having noticed that.

"I was scared." He admitted, turning his eyes to look at his hands in his own lap. Ryuji's eyes widened and he turned to look at him. Ren was their fearless leader. Of course, he expressed anxiousness like the others had when appropriate but… he was also the one to quickly regain his composure. If he was ever scared, which of course the others never doubted he was entirely fearless, he never expressed it to them. "I woke up and I couldn't remember what happened, where I was or why I was being beaten." He gripped the fabric of his pyjamas a little as the memory swam forward in his mind. "I… couldn't remember any of you for a short while. The drugs just made it so hard… It was all so painful and humiliating. I didn't have any control over my body at all." Ryuji put a hand on his shoulder, noticing Ren flinch slightly at the contact before slowly relaxing.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, man. I wish I had been right there with you. It was a stupid plan, I can't believe we put your life on the line like that!" His voice was raising a little. As it did Ren looked at him and put a finger to his lips before gesturing to the still sleeping Morgana. "Ah, uh, my bad."

"I… will talk about this more but right now I'm just… I just really want to sleep." Ren's smile was slightly different now. He wasn't hiding his pain with a mask anymore. Instead he was just happy to have some comfort, to have someone concerned for him after the lonely and terrifying experience he'd just undergone.

"That's fair, dude. I do got one question though…" Ren looked at him and tilted his head curiously. "How come ya ain't got a single mark on ya face? I get you're tough but ya telling me ya don't bruise?" Ren smirked back at him.

"Makeup." Ryuji blinked, staring at him. He was not even done comprehending before Ren continued. "I told Nijima-san that I didn't want anyone to see my current state. She pulled up at a road side, got out some makeup and put concealer or something on me." Ryuji began cracking up.

"Dude, you serious? You got a make over from the prosecutor?" Ren tilted his head up as he got to his feet and walked over to his bed. He slipped under the covers, careful to avoid accidentally kicking Morgana.

"Jealous, Ryuji?" Before Ryuji could even answer the lights flickered off.


	2. Futaba

Ren groaned as he brought a hand to his head. His dreams tormented by hazy figures of the police officers getting closer and closer, their voices spitting threats and the area growing darker and darker. He hadn't been able to get a decent night sleep since he'd come back to LeBlanc and he desperately needed it. Thankfully, Morgana slept like a rock so Ren could pace in piece as he fought the fear and haunting memories away. At least this way Morgana didn't hound him to go back to bed and question him for not doing so. When mornings came he would 'wake' up when Morgana did, but he was unable to go outside so instead he remained in and entertained himself in whatever ways he could. His friends had been kind enough to keep messaging him, to which he was grateful for.

"Hey!" Called the gruff voice of Sojiro from below. "Futaba's here!" Ren yawned and wiped his eyes as he rose from his bed. Futaba rushed upstairs, carrying a large stack of games and movies while clinging to a comically large bag of chips between her teeth. Ren rushed over, plucked the bag from her and offered a soft smile as he put it down on the table.

"Ah, thanks!" She grinned and hurried past him, putting the games down on the sofa. They spilled from the pile and spread out while Futaba turned and put her hands on her hips. "We are going to play video games all day today, no chickening out!" Ren had no plans to. He had come to get to know Futaba in the time he'd helped her. She was like a little sister to him now and he enjoyed her company. He gave her a thumbs up and knelt down in front of the sofa, shuffling through the games she'd brought. He could feel her eyes on him. She was worried, he knew that. He also knew she might not address it right away.

"How about this one?" Ren asked, holding up a co-op shooter that he hadn't played before. "I haven't played this one yet." Futaba looked horrified, like the reaper himself had emerged from the depths and settled itself right behind him.

"What?!" She exclaimed, staring at him. "You're serious? But this game came out three years ago!" Ren chuckled and adjusted his glasses with a playful smirk.

"So, we have a deal?" He asked. Futaba smirked back and copied his action with her own glasses.

"We literally do not have a choice. You're so on." She snatched the game and began putting it in the game console. "But you better not drag me down, Joker." She laughed and tossed him a controller. Morgana watched the two play for a while but excused himself in favour of taking a walk around the area. He didn't like being cooped up inside all the time. The game stretched into hours but felt like only minutes to the two players.

"Wow looks like we beat it already. That game was pretty short." Ren commented, blinking in surprise as the main menu came into view.

"Uh-uh," Futaba said, waving her finger. "It went by so fast because we're so good. Not bad for a rookie." She said and nudged him. He breathed a laugh and set the controller down and reaching for another crisp. "Hey, uhm… I've been meaning to ask… are you really okay?" Ah… there it was. Ren looked at her and smiled. "Don't do that!" She huffed. A blink. Silence.

"Huh?" Ren asked through a mouthful of food. Futaba crossed her arms.

"Don't just smile and pretend it's fine, it's super annoying. Not the same kind of annoying as Inari but still super annoying." She pouted. "I was worried. We all were… You've seen all my fears and insecurities… I got back in touch with my old friend thanks to you." She turned to him now, eyes shining with unshed tears. "So why won't you open up to me back? When're you gonna take off that mask in _this_ world?" Ren stared at her and swallowed the food in his mouth. A… mask? Was that really what he had been doing? Now that he thought about it, it was true that he'd seen all of his friends' insecurities and while it was true he did share his own past problems… he never really opened up too much when he was suffering.

"I… don't want to worry any of you more than I have done already." He eventually decided on, eyes anywhere but her.

"Tough." She said and scooted over, so she was in front of him. She put her hands on his arms. "Of course we're going to worry because we know you're not okay, but you won't talk to us. So, if we don't know how you're really feeling how are we supposed to not worry, you idiot?" Maybe she was right. Whenever he noticed his friends weren't doing well he always questioned them on it and if they didn't answer honestly it made him all the more concerned.

"Futaba…" Before he could continue she rolled up his sleeves to see the bruises placed there by the officers, including the thick bruises around his wrists from the shackles. Her expression melted to soft concern as she gently touch them, noticing right away when Ren flinched. Slowly she rolled his sleeves back down and leaned forward, pulling him into a hug. She was careful. She didn't launch her hug at him like usual, she didn't hold too hard… Maybe he should have just told her honestly.

"We're here for you." She said softly. Ren closed his eyes and hugged her back, taking a deep breath.

"I… didn't get much sleep last night… or most nights, really." He said. Maybe it was easier that he wasn't looking right at her concerned eyes when he said this. She rubbed his back comfortingly, wordlessly encouraging him to continue. "I-I just keep seeing those officers… hearing their voices… sometimes I'm afraid I'll wake up back there. That the drugs are still messing with me. I was… relieved when you came today." His voice became strained and he stopped speaking. That was enough for now, he didn't want his voice to betray him. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to let all of his emotions out in one burst right now.

The hug ended, and Ren leaned back in his kneeling position on the floor. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't cried yet, though he had come close. He was grateful for Futaba's support. He didn't know that he needed to explain his nightmare to someone, didn't know that it'd give him a sense of relief to know that someone else was aware of his pain. After all, once he'd explained, that person could be more accommodating. He looked back up at her and smiled. She smiled back to him and got up, ruffling his hair with a laugh.

"How about a movie this time?" She asked. "We can relax a little." That sounded nice. Ren nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good." He watched her get up and bring the selection towards him. He didn't feel weird or weak for opening up like he thought he would. That was… comforting. Maybe he could get used to doing this more. At a slow pace. "Oh… Futaba…" She looked at him and tilted her head. "Thank you… I really needed this." A grin spread across her face and she leapt to her feat, ruffling his hair.

"Damn right, you're so stubborn!" She teased.

 **AN: Glad to see the favourites and follows! Please leave reviews as it's encouraging and helps me see what people like about the work. Hope you enjoyed!**


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